Hearing Aid Users Often Do Not See Doctors to Ensure Devices Help

A study published in Health Affairs suggests a new federal law permitting people to buy hearing aids over-the-counter beginning in 2020 may not improve access to hearing care, reports Reuters Health . The investigators learned many older people who already wear hearing aids do not see doctors to check that the devices are working properly. Nearly 11 percent of Medicare beneficiaries enrolled in the study used a hearing aid in 2013, even though Medicare offers no coverage for hearing exams, hearing aids, or exams for fitting hearing aids. In addition, only about 33 percent of the people with hearing aids used hearing care services as well. "The concern is that for individuals with hearing aids who do not get hearing care services, they may continue to have suboptimal hearing outcomes, or become frustrated with their hearing aid and not use it as often or at all," says the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Amber Willink. The researchers claim the new law is likely to make hearing aids more affordable and increase the number of people using them for mild to moderate hearing loss, but it could also mean more older adults with impaired hearing will not receive care from specialists.